Mop having detachable head



May 27, 1958 L. A. LaT'a-LETON MOP HAVING DETACHABLE HEAD Filed March2l, 1956 United States Patent O l MOP HAVING DETACHABLE HEAD Louis A.Littleton, Point Pleasant, N. J.

Application March 21, 1956, Serial N o. 572,910

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-229) The present invention relates to mops of the typeutilized for scrubbing and cleaning and, more particularly, to a devicefor attaching a bundle of mop strands to a handle.

Practically all mops, which are available at the present time, comprisea wooden handle formed with a threaded portion or a metallic threadedferrule at one end, a mop head including a bundle of strands and ametallic threaded ferrule suitably attached to the bundle and having thehandle ferrule secured therein. When the mop strands become frayed andsoiled, the mop head is discarded and a new mop head is purchased foruse with the old handle.

The cost of replacing the mop head is substantial and usually dependsupon the size thereof `and the manner in i which the strands are securedto the handle receiving ferrule.

Another objection to such mop constructions is that the metallicferrules corrode and that the metal-to-metal Contact of the ferrulesinduces corrosion thereof. Thus, in many instances an otherwiseperfectly good handle must be discarded because its ferrule is in suchcondition that it no longer can be properly secured to the ferrule of anew mop head.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a devicefor attaching the bundle of mop strands to the handle in a manner whichovercomes the foregoing difficulties and objections.

Another object is to provide such a device which eliminates thenecessity of a pre-fabricated mop bundle and enables the housewife toreplace only the strands of yarn making up a bundle.

Another object is to provide such a device which enables loose strandsof yarn to be arranged in a bundle by the housewife and then be securedas a mop bundle for attachment to the handle.

Another object is to provide such a device which enables the mop bundleto be removed from the handle and permits the mop bundle to be Washed inthe usual manner without disarrangement of the strands.

Another object is to provide such a device which is simple, durable andeconomical in construction and can be readily manipulated by thehousewife to attach or remove the mop bundle from the handle and toreplace the strands of yarn making up the bundle.

A further object is to provide a mop construction wherein corrosivemetallic parts are eliminated.

Other and further objects will be obvious upon an understanding of theillustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated inthe appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein willoccur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention inpractice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawing,forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Fig. l is an elevational View of a mop construction 2,835,914 PatentedMay 27, 1958 2 embodying the device in accordance with the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of an element of the device in itsextended form prior to assembly with a mop bundle.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the element shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view, partly in elevation and partly in section,illustrating the element of Figs. 2 and 3 folded upon itself forsecurement into a ferrule.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line5-5 on Fig. 1 illustrating in detail the device and its cooperation withthe mop bundle and handle.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 5 in detail, a mop construction is shown whichgenerally comprises a conventional wooden handle 10 formed with athreaded portion 11 at its lower end, a bundle of strands of yarn 12,and a device 14, including an element 15 and a ferrule 16, for securingthe strands in a bundle and the bundle to the handle.

The bundle 12 may comprise a plurality of parallel strands of yarn laidside by side and being of even length. The strands may be united bystitching or tying the same to provide a pre-fabricated bundle adaptedfor sale as a replacement part, or the bundle may be made up of loosestrands by the housewife which are arranged and secured by the device 14as disclosed herein. It is also contemplated that the mop bundle mayconsist of a piece of fabric such as a scrubbing cloth or a towel oreven rags. v p

As shown in Figs. 2 to 5, the element 15 comprises an elongate,relatively narrow strap section 17 and an arcuate enlargement 18 at eachend of the strap section, such as substantially semi-cylindricalportions adapted to provide a hollow, substantially cylindricalconformation 18 when the element 15 is bent upon itself with theportions 18 placed together in the manner shown herein (Figs. 4 and 5).The strap section 17, by reason of its construction, substantiallyencircles the bundle of strands at its midpoint and serves to securelytie the strands together upon application and securement of the ferruleover the cylindrical conformation 18.

The element 15 is constructed of bendable material, preferably a plasticresin adapted to be molded to produce the element in a single operation.While natural or synthetic rubber may be used to good advantage, the useof polyethylene or other synthetic plastic materials having similarproperties is preferred. Such plastics can withstand modern detergentsand thus give the element 15 a long useful life.

The ferrule 16, preferably is constructed of the same type of materialas the element 15 thus eliminating metallic parts, but can be somewhatstiffer to facilitate handling the same during securement of theconformation lil.

In order to removably secure the conformation 18 within the ferrule 16,the portions 18 are formed with thread sections 19 on the exterior wallwhich provide a continuous screw thread when the portions 1B are placedtogether as herein disclosed, and the ferrule is formed with a screwthread 2l) at the interior wall for cooperation with the thread of theelement 15.

The portions 18 of the element 15 further are formed with threadsections 21 on the interior wall which cooperate when the portions 18are placed together, to provide a continu-ous screw thread forsecurement of the threaded portion of the handle. Preferably, the outerdiameter of the threaded portion 11, the wall thickness of the portions13 and inner diameter of the ferrule 16 are so dimensioned that theportion 11 tends to expand the conformation 18 radially outwardly intosnug engagement with the inner walls of the ferrule 16, whereby tightsecurement of the mop bundle to the handle is assured.

The facing edges 22 of the portions 18 are still further formed withcomplementary pins 23 and recesses 24 for interlocking the two portions18 into the cylindrical conformation 18. v 4In the use of the mop, afterthe ferrule 16 has been secured over the conformation 18 with thestrandspassing through the eye of the strapV section 17, a mop headconstruction is provided which may be attached to the handle or removedtherefrom in the conventional manner. Should the strands of the mopbundle become soiled and/or frayed, the ferrule 16 is unscrewed from theelement 15, the element is opened up to release the strands, and thestrands are discarded. A new set of strands or a pre-fabricated orarranged mop bundle is then placed'over the strap section 17 which isthen folded uponlitself and is again secured about the new bundle. YyFrom the foregoing description, it will be seen that the presentinvention provides a device which enables the housewife to maintain amop in proper order simply by having an old handle anda supply of yarn,and purchasing the device in accordance with the invention. Thus, thehousewife can enjoy the equivalentof several mops at the expense of lessthan one mop. rIfhis is assured because the device consisting of thestrap element and the ferrule is durable, forms a secure bundle grippingand handlev connection, is not corrodable and can withstand detergentsand other cleaning or sanitizing compositions.

Another advantage of enabling the housewife to construct her own mophandle is that she can choose the length of the strands to provide a mophead dimensioned to her personal satisfaction. Also, she may use yarnsof different colors to create artistic effects or to match her kitchendecorations.r These conveniences and pleasures are not afforded by theconventional replacement mop head.

As various changes may lbe made in the form, construction, andarrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, itis to be understood that all matters are to be interpreted asillustrative and not in any limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

l. A mop comprising a handle formed with a threaded end portion, a mopbundle, an elongate element con-- structed of bendable plastic materialhaving an intermediate strap section folded about said bundle and havinga hollow substantially semi-cylindrical section with a flat, facing edgeat each end of said strap section constructed and arranged to provide ahollow substantially cylindrical section, said facing edges havingcomplementary pins and recesses for interlocking the semi-cylindricalsections into a cylindrical section, and a ferrule having saidcylindrical section secured therein, said cylindrical section beinginternally threaded and said handle portion being threadedly securedtherein. f

2. A mop according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical section isthreadedly secured into said ferrule.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNrrED STATES PATENTSl

